MOUNT VERNON — For many people, duffel bags are smelly repositories for gym shoes and dirty uniforms. For children in foster care, they represent stability and a sense of belonging.
Entering foster care is a time of upheaval for children. Often, when leaving their biological home, they have nothing but a trash bag in which to put their belongings.
The Exchange Club of Mount Vernon and Knox County set out to change that scenario. In 2017, members donated 50 duffel bags to Job and Family Services so that children will have a sense of dignity during a difficult time.
Continuing its tradition, the club donated 112 duffel bags this year. Members also donated more than 100 smaller Ikea-type bags.
“It’s very inspirational, the focus that you have for children,” JFS Director Scott Boone told the club. “These children always need our attention, and this always gets our appreciation.
Boone said foster children frequently do not have anything of their own. Combined with being separated from everything they have known, meeting new friends, and moving into new homes, their feelings can become overwhelming.
“You have given them a sense of belonging. When they go back home, they have something that is their own,” Boone said.
Danielle Swendal, the administrator for JFS Children and Family Services, said the department had an unprecedented number of kids in the system last year, with 130. The department averaged around 70 a month.
She said, “It is very helpful to have these bags and enable them to gather their belongings very quickly.”
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